Steam regulator valve and the like



April 20, 1937 .1.y c. G. CossEY 2,077,988

STEAM REGULATOR VALVE AND THE LIKE Filed Ma y 1, 1936 2 Sheelts--Sheet 11 '17E D C B y Al F Y 7 O Patented Apr. 20, 1937 PATENT OFFICE STEAMREGULATOR VALVE AND THE LIKE John Cecil George Cossey, Golders Green,London, England, assigner to Meboe Limited, London,

England Application May 1, 1936, Serial No. 77,433 In Great Britain May16, 1935 Claims.

This invention relates to valves of the multiple beat type such as areused for steam regulation and of the type wherein a plurality of valvesor valve members arranged or nested concentrically 5 one within theother are operated by a single central spindle, a steam space beingprovided between one valve and another in the concentric series for thegeneral purpose of putting one or more of the valves into equilibriumunder steam pressure.

I'he object of the present invention is to overcome difficulties and/orshortcomings of valves of the aforesaid kind as at present constructed,and thereby to obtain better control and regulation, for instance, inconditions such as are met with in the operation of locomotive enginesand are referred to hereinafter.

The invention generally consists in a multiple beat valve of the kindreferredto incorporating zo in its structure port and like meansenabling pas.. sage of steam to auxiliary devices and/or for otherpurposes in relatively small amounts before and/or while the valve isoperated to function in its full capacity as a main steam supply 25control.

The invention also consists in a multiple beat valve as indicated,comprising port means through one or more of a plurality of concentricnested valves, admitting steam directly or indi- 30 rectly to thecathead or valve body from the innermost or smallest valve.

The invention also consists in a multiple beat valve as indicated in thepreceding paragraph including a ported valve co-operating with a lat- 35eral port from the interior to the exterior of the valve body.

The invention also consists in a multiple beat valve as indicated in theparagraph next but one preceding, including a valve ported for admissionof steam from its interior into the main steam pipe as for drifting,

The invention alsoy consists in a valve as indicated including 'meansco-operating with port means in one of the nested valves to close saidport means in sequence to the opening of the innermost or otherinitially-opened valve.

The invention also consists in a valve according to the precedingparagraph in which said means comprises an annular element having a 50mitred end co-operating with a seat in one of the other valves.

'I'he invention also consists in a valve as indicated in the paragraphnext but two preceding including means co-operating with said ported 55valve and with another valve to admit steam to the interior of theformer and effect substantial equilibrium of said other valve prior toopening thereof.

The invention also consists in the improvements to valves of the kindreferred to, and sub- 5 stantially as hereinafter indicated.

In the case of an engine having poppet valves in the cylinder steamchests for distributing steam to the cylinders the improved valve canconveniently be used to admit steam through an 10 auxiliary steam pipeto the back of the poppet valves or their spindles to close them beforethe main supply of steam reaches the cylinders.

Where an engine has a boiler supplying superheated steam the valve canbe arranged to cause 15 a small quantity of steam to flow through thesuperheater elements when the main steam supply is shut 01T, preventingoverheating and burning of the elements.

Valves in accordance with the invention are eminently suitable forlocomotives as these are now usually tted with superheated boilers andlarge numbers have valve gears of the ypoppet valve type. Further, thevalve can be used to supply a small amount of steam to the valve chestsand/or cylinders of a locomotive when it is drifting, i. e. when thelocomotive is running with the main steam supply shut off from itscylinders. If a certain amount of steam is not then passing through thevalve chests and cylinders the lubricating oil oxidizes andcarbonization will occur in the valve chest and cylinder ports.

A separate drifting valve has in some cases been provided on alocomotive, and operated at the drivers discretion, but where such avalve is not employed drivers have sometimes obtained the desired effectby slightly opening the regulator valve. This partial opening of theusual types of regulator valve, however, is unsatisfactory as the valvesof these regulator valves are of such an area that the lift required togive the requisite amount of steam is very small; it is difi'icult toregulate the quantity of Steam passing.

The invention can also be used in connection with the supply of steameither through the main steam pipe or through separate pipes to operateby-pass valves, relief valves, blow-off cocks and other fittings andauxiliaries.

With the objects set out above we may utilize a valve of theaforementioned multiple beat type (in connection with which referencemay be had to British specification No. 285,589) and so provide thatwhen the innermost concentric valve or valves are open the steam passingunder the mitres of such valves flows through ports in one or more ofthe outer concentric valves and/or valve body or cathead.

In the accompanying drawingszY Figure l is a vertical section throughone construction of valve according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the component valves of the aboveconstruction;

Figure 5 is a fragmental View corresponding to Figure 3, but showing amodification;

Figures 6, '7, 8 and 9 are views of further modications, taken insimilar planes to Figure 3; and

Figures and 11 are vertical sectional views of other constructions.

In carrying the inventioninto effect in one specific form shown by wayof example in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and describing thus a construction ofvalve generally resembling that illustrated in the aforesaid patentspecification, radial ports bzbz are provided through the walls of theouter valve B, leading from a steam space y provided between the outervalve and middle valve. One of the said ports communicates through ashort channel Iba, shown in Figure 4, with a port p in the cathead A,while the diametrically opposite port is provided to secure lateralbalance of the valve and provides as by receiving a pin q passed throughthe wall of the cathead a ready means of preventing rotation of theouter valve in the cathead.

In these, and subsequent drawings herein, E is the valve spindle,operatable as by a lifting fork and bridle, F is a distance piece, G isa securing nut, A1 is a guide bearing, b1b1 are ports through the valveB, f112g1 are scouring ports.

When the innermost valve D is open, steam passing under its mitre flowsto the steam space y between the outer and middle valve, through one ofthe ports b2 in the outer valve to the port pin the cathead, through thewall of the cathead and is then led conveniently say to the valves of apoppet valve gear to close such valves before the main steam supplyreaches the cylinders; or the steam may be led to some other part of theengine for such purpose or purposes as may be required.

In the above construction, steam is not admitted to the main steam pipeleading to the cylinders until the mitre of the middle Valve is liftedfrom its seating on top of the outer valve.

A modification of this arrangement may, as in Figure 5, consist inomitting the port p in the cathead or closing it by suitable means andproviding another port b4 in the outer valve B so that steam may nowpass through said port and from the inside of the cathead through themain steam pipe to the cylinders and thus provide a small flow of steamfor such purposes as eliminating overheating of the superheaterelements, preventing carbonization of Valve chests and cylinder ports,and for drifting.

In the alternative construction shown in Fig ure 6 a concentric annularvalve D1 is mounted over the guide ribs or iiutes provided on theinnermost valve. One of the valves, e. g. the middle one C, has portsc1c1 formed in its walls and provides in addition to a seating for themitre of the innermost valve D, a seating c2 for the mitre of theannular valve. In this construction when the valve D is opened, steampasses under its mitre, through the ports c1c1 provided in the valve Con which the first is seated, through ports b1b1 in the outer valve B tothe main steam pipe, such steam being available for drifting or otherpurposes: at this stagel steam also passes between the innermost andannular valve D, D1 to the steam space y between the two outer valves C,B. On further opening of the regulator valve the mitre on top of theannular valve D1 which is also lifted closes against its seating c2 andno further steam is allowed to pass to the steam pipe through the portsb1b1 in the outer valve. Steam, however, still has free access to thesteam space y. Further lifting of the central spindle E with valves Dand D1 opens in series the two valves C and B admitting the main supplyof steam to the steam pipe in the known way.

In the further modification shown in Figure 7 the. distance piece Fconcentrically mounted on the spindle under the innermost valveprimarily for lifting the same also directly closes ports c1c1 formed inthe lower part of the middle valve, after a predetermined lift. The pinr co-operating with a hole in the valve C prevents relative rotation ofthe latter and the distance piece F so as to avoid coincidence of theports f1 in the upper part of the member F with 'the ports c1 to beclosed thereby. This construction at first functions in much the sameway as the construction above described using an annular valve, steambeing available for drifting when the valve spindle is raised to aposition in which the valve D and the ports c1 in the middle valve areadmitting steam. At the end of the drifting period, when the spindle israised further, the distance piece F closes the ports c1 in the middlevalve; and further lift, the valve D being already open, opens themiddle and then the outer valve, admitting the main steam supply tothecylinders.

In a further modification shown in Figure 8 two inner concentric valvesD, D1, both comparatively small, are arranged one within the other inthe inner one C of two outer valves (hitherto referred to as the middlevalve), this latter valve having ports c1 formed in its walls. In thisarrangement the valve D, the lower end of which is engaged by theoperating distance piece F, opens first, admitting steam to the steamspace y between the outer and other valves. This admitted steam placesthe valve D1 on top of which the mitre of valve D has its seating, andalso the next larger valve C, substantially into equilibrium under steampressure. As the spindle E is raised the second smallest valve D1 isnext engaged by the distance piece F and opened to pass a predeterminedsmall amount of steam through the ports c1c1 in the aforesaid middlevalve to the steam pipe and thence to the cylinders. This is thedrifting position of the regulator, and when the locomotive is no longerdrifting and steam is required in larger quantities the regulator handleis moved from its drifting position and the outer valves C and B arelifted in series in the known way to admit the main supply of steam forinstance to the cylinders.

If this last construction and that rst described herein are combined,the resulting regulator valve may be such that at one position ofopening two auxiliary steam supplies become available, one passingthrough ports as c1 in the inner of the two outer valves to the mainsteam pipe, and the other in series through the port b2 in the outervalve and the port p in the cathead to a smaller separate pipe for someother purpose.

In a modification, shown in Figure 9, of the four-valved arrangementabove described, ports are not provided in the inner of the two outervalves, i. e. the middle valve. Both inner valves D, D1 admit steam tothe steam space y between the outer and other valves, but in this caseone or more ports as bz is or are formed in the bottom of the outervalve B, leading from the steam space y directly tothe inside of thecathead A. The two inner valves in this construction pass suiilcientsteam substantially to put into steam equilibrium the next largest valveas well as to pass -that required at the cylinders for drifting.

In the further construction shown in Figure 10, a chamber e is providedinside the cathead A, this chamber being formed by extending the guideor bearing A1 for the bottom of the outer valve to the bottom of the-catliead; and a port p in the wall of the cathead communicates withthis chamber.

When in this construction the innermost valve D is open, steam passingunder its mitre ows to the steam space y between the outer and middlevalve, and thence via the guide iiuting at ,f2 and the chamber z to theport p in the cathead wall, and is then led, by means of a pipe, e. g.to some other part of the engine, for such purpose as may be required.'I'he steam is not admitted to the main steam pipe leading to thecylinders until the mitre of the middle valve C is lifted from itsseating on the top of the outer valve B.

A modification of this arrangement, shown in Figure 11, consists inomitting the port in the lower part of the cathead Wall or closing it asby means of a screwed plug, and providing another port p1 in the wall ofthe steam chamber a, so that steam passing through this port may pass tothe inside of the cathead and through the main steam pipe to thecylinders.

The construction shown in Figures and l1 can be arranged with two innerconcentric valves D, D1, instead of a single inner valve, D.

As the innermost valve or valves in the foregoing constructions are usedfor admitting steam for the purposes described and as these valves arerelatively small, a proportionately larger lift is required to obtainthe necessary area for the passage of the steam. The lift of thesevalves is such that an appreciable movement of the regulator operatinghandle is necessary. This is of particular importance in the case oflocomotives as the driver will have no diiculty in putting the regulatorinto the drifting position, and, moreover, the quadrant usually found onthe regulator rod stuing box can be provided with a mark indicating thedrift position. Such quadrants are at present usually marked merely Openand Shut an intermediate position may be marked Drift. Alternatively orin addition, the quadrant may be provided with movable stop meansagainst which, for instance, a tail or arm on the operating handle canabut when the regulator valve is closed to the drifting position; suchstop being .moved out of the path of the tail, arm or the like when itis desired to shut off the relatively small amount of steam used fordrifting.

I claim:

l. A multiple beat steam regulator valve comprising a plurality ofconcentrically nested valves operable in sequence including oneoperating as a piston within another to dene therewith an internalchamber and an initially operable third valve for admitting steam intosaid chamber for balancing said one valve, said chamber communicatingthrough radiating port means with the exterior of the nest of valveswhilst one of the latter remains in seated position.

2. In a multiple beat steam regulator valve comprising a plurality ofconcentrically nested valves operable in sequence and including one ofsaid valves operating pistonwise within another to define therewith aclosed balancing chamber in the interior of the nest of valves, intowhich chamber live steam is admitted with the opening of one of saidvalves, the combination therewith of port means radiating from saidchamber to the exterior of the nested valves and means adapted to rendersaid port means inoperative when the initially operated valve hasachieved a predetermined position of lift.

3. A valve in accordance with claim 2 including an element movable withsaid one valve and between two of said valves and a seat interposedbetweengsaid port means and said chamber cooperating with said movableelement to close the communication between them at the maximum positionof lift of said one valve.

4. In a multiple beat steam regulator valve comprising a plurality ofconcentrically nested valves operable in sequence and dening withintheir interior a chamber into which live steam is admissible with theopening of one of said valves for balancing one of the other valves tobe opened subsequently, the combination therewith of means providing achamber situated to the outside of the nest of valves and port meanspermanently connecting said chambers and means for leading oi steam fromsaid outside chamber while controlled solely by said one valve.

5. A valve according to claim 4 wherein said outside chamber isassociated with the outlet side of the nest of valves and saidconnecting port means run axially through one of said other valves.

JOI-IN CECIL GEORGE COSSEY.

